My '99 4.6L is a good truck, and I feel even better about it after reading the F150 w/4.6L thread, but many of you, like me, drive other trucks as well at times. Which 4WD truck, the '97-2003 Ford vs. '99-present Chevy/GMC vs. '94-2001 Dodge is the toughest, longest lasting, most dependable, easiest to repair and keep going truck that will provide the most years of reliable service. My family and I have always been Ford folks, but I like the Chevy/GMC 5.3L and they've been using torsion bar frontends in 4WD trucks the longest, and I like the simplicity of the pushrod Dodge 360 and straight front axle. If one of these three trucks was the last truck you could own, which would it be?

 

97-03 Ford - Personally not my favorite body style, but a reliable truck non-the-less. VERY comfortable interior, should have all the goodies like power windows and locks etc. Reliable power train, allthough a bit hard to work on (modular engine jungle).

99+ GM trucks - Very reliable trucks especially with the 5.3. Great driving truck, probably the easiest on gas. very nice riding truck as well. Interior has much left to be desired though, very bland.

94-01 Ram - Personally my favorite looking truck out of the three. Only gripes is the transmission. Always keep an eye on that, and be prepared to change it once in the trucks lifetime. The Older rams 94-97 had IMO a nicer more solid interior. The ride is probably the most harsh out of the three. I think you have ot be a Ram guy to be able to put up with tranny issues to have this truck for a long time, otherwise I would go with the Ford or Chev.

 

I had a 97 XLT Scab 4x4 with 4.6 that I really liked and had only a couple minor problems with it. My only complaint was the lack of the DS rear cab door.

I now have a 04 XLT Scab 4x4 with 5.4 that I love. I have had no problems with it with the exception of having to have the DS roof molding replaced (under warranty).

I never have liked the looks of the Dodge Ram. I've always felt that interiors of the Chevy/GMC trucks looked very plastic and cheap. But if my only choice is between a Chevy, Dodge, Nissan, or Toyota I would buy the Chevy.

 

I am going to say the chevy. the dodge is almost** guranteed to have tranny trouble. I think gm has the motor easiest on gas. Toughest is all relative to how the truck is getting beaten on. The ford is the second choice. Dodge will cost you the most to own on average.

 

I'd take the motor and suspension from the GM. The frame and cab from the Ford and the ??? from the Dodge and roll all up into a new truck.

 

The Ford for sure is in first place. Not big on the looks, but the 4.6 SOHC engine is going to last a long time, and be easy on the wallet.

2nd place is Chevy. That 5.3 is a great engine, but I don't care for the "lowrider" stance or the ancient-looking interiors.

3-Why is that generation of Dodge even being compared to these 2 trucks? The transmissions are terribly short lived, and the pushrod 360 is a pig. A holdover from the 80's. Low output, poor mileage, and heavy. The ONLY good thing about the 94-01 ram is affordability. You can get a full size V-8 4wd xcab pickup for half the price of a Ford or Chevy. Better hope the previous owner put a new tranny in it though!

 

I had 5 Ram pickups on the farm and 2 Fords. The Fords rarely needed anything more than general maintenance. The Rams had a very poor rate of reliablity. Three transmissions on three trucks, axle bearings, front ends, brakes every 25,000 miles, poor fitting doors, and 1 lemon where some of our issues. We rarely got better than 13 mpg.

I have always been a Dodge guy, but the two Fords changed my mind. Dad traded his 90 Ford dually 2 years ago for a Dodge and has changed the transmission and now needs to have the front axle seals changed. The 360 barely gets better mileage than the 460 it replaced.

The 5.4 Ford engine gets tremendous power, and mileage, if you can get past the looks of the new body, it's a good truck. The previous body looks fine and the 4.6 will yield decent mileage.

 

Great responses! Sounds to me like the Dodge is out, and the Chevy/GMC has the edge, other than the low stance and interior. I like the Chevy/GMC's flat hood and 5.3L, where I don't like the Ford's egg-shaped hood and cab. But I'm a Ford guy, and I've stood behind them, although sometimes I think it's just because it's got a blue oval on it.

What about durability? Say you drive it daily during the week on the highway, and then use it on the farm or hunt with it regularly, driving it on rough ground. Which truck is going to hold its alignment better and longer, which frontend is going to last longer and not get sloppy? I don't like to trade. I like to get something, take care of it and enjoy it, and drive the wheels off of it.

 

chevy definately keeps good and tight steering well after 100k. they drive down the street about as good as new with little or no slop/play in the steering.

 

You can't exactly judge alignment life and all that stuff on a truck. You don't know what kind of rough roads you're going to get into, or what you're going to hit off road. I agree that Chevy's keep tight steering, but I like to have a little slop in the steering. Thats how ya know you're driving a real truck!.

Were you talking about the 1/2 or 3/4 ton by the way...?

 

I was comparing 1/2-ton trucks. 314,000 and 219,000 miles on your trucks - that's awesome, that's what I'm talking about. I had 267,000 miles on my '88 F-150 4WD, 351W, C6, , 2 1/2" suspension lift, when it was totalled. I still haven't gotten over that truck, although I don't miss the frontend. It would be fine, then I'd hit a pot hole and it would pull to one side and the steering wheel would run crooked. Later, I'd hit another pot hole and it might knock it back or knock it the other way. Stress cracks in the frame around the steering box, slop where the axle bolted to the crossmember. Great truck, but not as durable as I like.

 

Well you had 200,000 plus on your 150. Should be an easy choice Ford. Is there anything else. Nope GM trucks are to low to the ground IMO. How can you go off road with one off those you cant without breaking the front bumper off or getting high centered. Dodge not worth talking about.

 

The Ford. I had the chance to purchase any 1/2 ton truck on the market at the time (2002) and Ford won.

The Chevy style was horrible, low ground clearance, plastic interior and problems my friends have had with their Silverados/Sierras detered me. It did have better HP numbers and got better gas mileage, but that couldn't compensate for the style, ground clearence and cheap interior.

The Dodge, had too rough of a ride, guzzled gas and the overall fit and finish just wasn't there. I just did not like anything about this truck.

The Ford wasn't the fastest or most comfortable, but personally had the best looks in/out. My family owns 4 97-03 F-150's, and none have had any major problems like my friends Chevies & GMC's. Also knowing it had been the best selling Full-Sized truck for twenty-something years swayed me. Seeing an average of 2 to 1 Ford to Chevy and 4 to 1 Ford to Dodge on the road also helped make up my mind.

 

my 05 v10 super duty has been my best to date, with no dealer warrenty work yet. as to buying new for my choices 1st is ford . 2nd would be a chevy/gmc with a 6.0 v8 a dodge sorry guys i had 2 newer ones and lemon lawed the first,they gave me a 2nd and that was just as bad. back to ford. in 2 years. so for my 3rd choice it would have to be a pedal bike trike .

 

What kind of problems were the Chevy/GMC's having?